Marcus speaks with Moky Mokura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, about storytelling, why it matters, and the work she is spearheading to shift narratives about Africa. “Because until lions learn to write, hunters will tell their stories for them. The only way to change a narrative is to change the underlying stories.’’ - Moky Makura Moky also has her own podcast platform - Woman on Top

Marcus speaks with Charles Murito, Regional Director at Google, responsible for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Sub Saharan Africa. Charles sheds light on the large scale investments the tech giant is making in infrastructure connectivity solutions, in growing the software developer ecosystem in SSA, and in supplying early and growth stage African startups with funding. He outlines to the principles and approach that he adopts when working with policy-makers to support homegrown technology innovation and the digital economy. "We need to equip our youth to compete in the global economy and participate in the 4IR. There were 720,000 certified software developers in Africa at the start of 2022 (mostly in SA, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria), of which more than 38% were working for projects and companies outside of Africa.….Over the next three years Africa has a chance to gain $180bn in GDP from the digital economy. ‘’ Charles Murito.

Marcus speaks to Frannie Leautier, Partner and CEO of SouthBridge Investments. Frannie explains how ‘Frugal Innovation’ has come to guide her investment decisions, and she speaks about her experience promoting and supporting intra-Africa trade, as well as her hopes for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

"Marcus speaks to Rebekah Shirley, Director of Research, Data and Innovation at the World Resources Institute, about the challenges and opportunities that Africa faces in realising a just and fair energy transition. Rebekah discusses the complexities of delivering energy access at scale on a continent where 560 million people don’t have access to electricity, and the importance of decentralising renewable technologies.

Marcus speaks to Mzila Mthenjane, Head of Stakeholder Affairs at Exxaro Resources, one of the largest coal producers in South Africa. Mzila joined Exxaro in 2013 after stints at AngloGold, Gold Fields Limited, RMB and Deutsche Bank. In this episode Mzila gives an insight into Exxaro’ journey to transition from a coal base to a minerals and renewable energy solutions business. He speaks about the social and economic implications of ‘just transition’ and the responsibility this bestows on a company like Exxaro in a nation like South Africa, which faces both an energy crisis and an unemployment crisis.

Siegfried (‘Siggi’) Huegemann, co-founder and Vice Chairman of the African Hydrogen Partnership (AHP) tells Marcus why hydrogen technology could be the crucial missing link in the transition of African economies to green electrification. Hydrogen technology is ready for use and available now, Siggi explains, and new markets for it are growing rapidly. A handful of countries in North and Southern Africa, including Morocco, Namibia and South Africa, have now set out plans to develop hydrogen economies, offering a great range of environmentally-friendly economic opportunities and a path towards Net Zero.

Marcus talks to Sharmi Surianarain who is the Chief Impact Officer at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. The Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not for profit social enterprise that's building African solutions for the global challenge of youth unemployment. She leads research, knowledge, and insights, focusing on the impact of Harambee’s capabilities to change the system and contribute to solutions for the African continent. The focus is International Women's Day, 8th March. We look at the systems change grant from Co-Impact which has been incredibly valuable as a thought partner in deepening their approach to understanding gender issues. Harambee always has had a skew towards a female network. We've over the years built a network that's 64% female. It has made us a lot more intentional about the barriers that young women face. And these are many.

Max Jarrett is Africa Director for the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations, and real-world solutions to help countries provide secure and sustainable energy for all. Marcus and Max have a candid discussion about leadership in the industry, the energy crisis, and the mission and journey to Net Zero.